“...and may Sylvia’s blessing be with you all today.”
A hum of voices repeating the phrase slowly petered out as the morning service of the fae pantheon came to a close. Rose jumped to her feet, weaving her way through the thinning crowd to reach Father Taegan before he left.
“Pardon me, Father, do you have a moment?”
At the sound of the familiar voice, Father Taegan smiled warmly at the young fae woman, nodding as he packed a few leather-bound books into a weathered satchel. “What’ll it be today, Rose?” he said, grey eyes twinkling with amusement. “Looking to borrow another book of fables?”
“I’m afraid it’s a bit more serious, Father,” Rose said, glancing around nervously before stepping closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “I...I’m having trouble with my magic. To be honest, I’m...not even sure if it’s there anymore.” As she finished the sentence, her gaze fell and she began fidgeting with her bracelets, tracing the patterns in the clockwork. “It’s getting so hard to blend in with the humans, and if my parents knew I was struggling, they might...” Her voice trailed off, and after a deep, shaky breath, Rose looked up again, eyes glossy. “I’m...scared.”
Father Taegan placed a large hand on her shoulder, his face wrinkled with wisdom. “My child, it is normal to experience fluctuations in your abilities. It happens to the best of us.” When she didn’t look comforted, the reverend gave her a sympathetic smile. “Perhaps you just need to bring yourself closer to our deities.” Turning his back to her, he rummaged through his satchel before procuring a rather plain-looking book, save for the faded image of a willow tree engraved into the leather cover. Rose furrowed her brows as she gingerly wiped a tear out of her eye.
“I told you I didn’t want any fables,” she muttered.
“I know,” Father Taegan replied, running a hand over the book. As he did so, the modest leather exterior seemed to melt away, and in its stead was a glittering emerald book with gilded pages. He touched a finger to the center of the cover, and from where he made contact, an intricate gold leaf design spread, depicting people dancing in celebration around an enormous, beautiful female figure in the center whose eyes were closed and whose hands were held in a delicate prayer position. Rose’s eyes grew wide with wonder as she witnessed the display, and as she began studying the cover, Father Taegan spoke again.
“That, my child, is Sylvia.”
Rose gasped. “Do you mean this is--?”
“The holy book of the fae, yes. I think you would benefit from her guidance right now.”
“But Father, I’m still not sure if I can--”
Her sentence was cut short by her mother’s curt tug on her arm, signaling for her to follow as her parents left the holy grounds. “Be brave,” Father Taegan said as Rose mumbled a farewell, “and above all, have faith.” As he spoke, a swift, sudden breeze rocked the trees nearby, rustling leaves and carrying the familiar scent of wet earth and saltwater on its winds. Father Taegan nodded thoughtfully, gesturing with an open hand around at the shuddering branches. “You see, my child,” he called after Rose, “she is already listening.” _
It felt strange to attend two services in one day, but Rose’s parents insisted on committing to their lifestyle of hiding amongst the humans, regardless of how boring and nonsensical the teachings of the Great Craftsman were. As they left the cathedral, the commotion of voices yelling over one another could be heard from down the street, and before they could tell her to do otherwise, Rose ducked away from her parents, tracing the sound to the source.
In front of the council building, a crowd of locals were in the midst of what appeared to be a species equality rally, homemade signs held proudly above their heads and voices hoarse from repeated chanting. Leading the rally was an ancient woman, draped in a luxurious fur coat and sporting dark, cateye sunglasses and a delicate pearl necklace. This was the instantly recognizable Eleonora Moretti, Madrenice’s most famous actress, and prominent social activist. Rose had dreamed of the day she would rally alongside her idol of social involvement, and yet, every muscle in her body was suddenly paralyzed. Her true fae identity was already shamed by society, and now she was contemplating putting her human disguise at risk as well? As she took a few shaky steps towards the swaying crowd of cacophony, bodies of rioters pushing against those of the city guard’s, she caught the sight of her reflection in a window.
Despite her best efforts and continual sacrifices to Sylvia, her magic was waning, and her brown eyes had faded back to their true lilac shade, a dead giveaway of her fae ancestry. Her parents had spent their entire lives protecting her true identity and providing her with the comforts of false humanity--a private education, a promising future, the ability to simply roam the streets without harassment or prejudice--and yet she felt more cowardly than ever. Rose took a deep breath, feeling the air around her stir as she did so, causing leaves on the sidewalk to dance in the breeze. For a moment, it felt as though time had stopped.
Turning away from her reflection, she looked over her shoulder at her parents, who were running to catch up with her. Their faces were stern, but their eyes were wide with fear. Joining the rally would mark a swift death for her future amongst the humans, and yet, Rose found herself unable to live a lie any longer. With a final apologetic grin towards her parents, she launched herself into the crowd, swiftly dodging the guards’ attempts to grab her and weaving her way to stand beside her idol, proudly repeating the chants of protest she heard around her.
As her human facade shimmered and faded, she felt a hand on her shoulder and craned her neck to see Eleonora smiling down at her, eyes sparkling with pride behind the tint of her sunglasses.Although chaos undoubtedly waited for her in the future, Rose felt more at peace in this moment than she ever had before.
A hum of voices repeating the phrase slowly petered out as the morning service of the fae pantheon came to a close. Rose jumped to her feet, weaving her way through the thinning crowd to reach Father Taegan before he left.
“Pardon me, Father, do you have a moment?”
At the sound of the familiar voice, Father Taegan smiled warmly at the young fae woman, nodding as he packed a few leather-bound books into a weathered satchel. “What’ll it be today, Rose?” he said, grey eyes twinkling with amusement. “Looking to borrow another book of fables?”
“I’m afraid it’s a bit more serious, Father,” Rose said, glancing around nervously before stepping closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “I...I’m having trouble with my magic. To be honest, I’m...not even sure if it’s there anymore.” As she finished the sentence, her gaze fell and she began fidgeting with her bracelets, tracing the patterns in the clockwork. “It’s getting so hard to blend in with the humans, and if my parents knew I was struggling, they might...” Her voice trailed off, and after a deep, shaky breath, Rose looked up again, eyes glossy. “I’m...scared.”
Father Taegan placed a large hand on her shoulder, his face wrinkled with wisdom. “My child, it is normal to experience fluctuations in your abilities. It happens to the best of us.” When she didn’t look comforted, the reverend gave her a sympathetic smile. “Perhaps you just need to bring yourself closer to our deities.” Turning his back to her, he rummaged through his satchel before procuring a rather plain-looking book, save for the faded image of a willow tree engraved into the leather cover. Rose furrowed her brows as she gingerly wiped a tear out of her eye.
“I told you I didn’t want any fables,” she muttered.
“I know,” Father Taegan replied, running a hand over the book. As he did so, the modest leather exterior seemed to melt away, and in its stead was a glittering emerald book with gilded pages. He touched a finger to the center of the cover, and from where he made contact, an intricate gold leaf design spread, depicting people dancing in celebration around an enormous, beautiful female figure in the center whose eyes were closed and whose hands were held in a delicate prayer position. Rose’s eyes grew wide with wonder as she witnessed the display, and as she began studying the cover, Father Taegan spoke again.
“That, my child, is Sylvia.”
Rose gasped. “Do you mean this is--?”
“The holy book of the fae, yes. I think you would benefit from her guidance right now.”
“But Father, I’m still not sure if I can--”
Her sentence was cut short by her mother’s curt tug on her arm, signaling for her to follow as her parents left the holy grounds. “Be brave,” Father Taegan said as Rose mumbled a farewell, “and above all, have faith.” As he spoke, a swift, sudden breeze rocked the trees nearby, rustling leaves and carrying the familiar scent of wet earth and saltwater on its winds. Father Taegan nodded thoughtfully, gesturing with an open hand around at the shuddering branches. “You see, my child,” he called after Rose, “she is already listening.”
_
It felt strange to attend two services in one day, but Rose’s parents insisted on committing to their lifestyle of hiding amongst the humans, regardless of how boring and nonsensical the teachings of the Great Craftsman were. As they left the cathedral, the commotion of voices yelling over one another could be heard from down the street, and before they could tell her to do otherwise, Rose ducked away from her parents, tracing the sound to the source.
In front of the council building, a crowd of locals were in the midst of what appeared to be a species equality rally, homemade signs held proudly above their heads and voices hoarse from repeated chanting. Leading the rally was an ancient woman, draped in a luxurious fur coat and sporting dark, cateye sunglasses and a delicate pearl necklace. This was the instantly recognizable Eleonora Moretti, Madrenice’s most famous actress, and prominent social activist. Rose had dreamed of the day she would rally alongside her idol of social involvement, and yet, every muscle in her body was suddenly paralyzed. Her true fae identity was already shamed by society, and now she was contemplating putting her human disguise at risk as well? As she took a few shaky steps towards the swaying crowd of cacophony, bodies of rioters pushing against those of the city guard’s, she caught the sight of her reflection in a window.
Despite her best efforts and continual sacrifices to Sylvia, her magic was waning, and her brown eyes had faded back to their true lilac shade, a dead giveaway of her fae ancestry. Her parents had spent their entire lives protecting her true identity and providing her with the comforts of false humanity--a private education, a promising future, the ability to simply roam the streets without harassment or prejudice--and yet she felt more cowardly than ever. Rose took a deep breath, feeling the air around her stir as she did so, causing leaves on the sidewalk to dance in the breeze. For a moment, it felt as though time had stopped.
Turning away from her reflection, she looked over her shoulder at her parents, who were running to catch up with her. Their faces were stern, but their eyes were wide with fear. Joining the rally would mark a swift death for her future amongst the humans, and yet, Rose found herself unable to live a lie any longer. With a final apologetic grin towards her parents, she launched herself into the crowd, swiftly dodging the guards’ attempts to grab her and weaving her way to stand beside her idol, proudly repeating the chants of protest she heard around her.
As her human facade shimmered and faded, she felt a hand on her shoulder and craned her neck to see Eleonora smiling down at her, eyes sparkling with pride behind the tint of her sunglasses.Although chaos undoubtedly waited for her in the future, Rose felt more at peace in this moment than she ever had before.